All at Once
by Beckon
Summary: It had been three years since she had last seen him, and yet the memory of their first encounter still ran fresh in her mind. Boyd/Nephenee. Radiant Dawn. R


**A/N: Found this story lost somewhere on my flashdrive. It's about a year old and I still surprisingly like it, so I spruced it up a bit and decided to upload it since I was falling back on my Fire Emblem stories a bit. Well I hope you enjoy. **

**1. Introduction**

"_It's Boyd."_

"_Nephenee…"_

It had been three years since she had last seen him, and yet the memory of their first encounter still ran fresh in her mind.

**2. Smile**

Rushing down to the courtyard of the palace almost seemed pointless in a sense, but seeing the Greil Mercenaries one more time would be like seeing a miracle. Watching the door open, and that green-haired Warrior walk in with that bold smile of his made all the waiting worth it.

**3. Eyes**

The three years had hardly put a damper on his spirit. He was still high and wild; commenting on her every physical change. He remarked how her eyes were his favorite part, and he was glad they hadn't altered. She just blushed and pulled her helmet down a little lower.

**4. Waiting. **

The short time to talk that they had was a rush of words and sentences. She expressed her sadness when he left, but that she had eventually overthrew it. He complained about the whole cause of their sudden disappearance, but mentioned that he was glad to be back. He spoke that waiting to see home once more was more difficult than trying to overthrow Ashnard.

**5. Blood**

Their moment of peace didn't last long, and before they knew it everyone was thrown into battle once more. The shattering feel of weapon against weapon; armor on armor; blood on blood had slowly awakened the warrior she had tried to suppress. After the battle with Yeardley, she was beginning to fear her own strength.

**6. Hero**

For several days she cursed and tended over him for taking an arrow that had been aimed at her. He just laughed at her words and rubbed the bloodied bandage wrapping his right shoulder.

**7. Misfortune**

No matter how many times she had been through a war, she would never get use to the sheer misery it put on the lives of the innocent. She felt her heart sink every time they walked through another destroyed city with fires still flickering from days before.

**8. Flowers**

He remembered how depressed she looked after several moves through the destroyed cities of both Daein and Begnion. Picking some flowers from a nearby field, he felt slightly better after seeing the smile on her face when she received them.

**9. Teamwork**

Her lance and agility together with his axe and brute force got them through several tough scenarios alive and almost unscathed. She enjoyed commenting on the sweat that gathered on his muscles. While he teased her about how the wind gathered in her dress.

**10. Deep in Thought**

"He's always like that." Boyd would laugh upon seeing his blue-haired friend staring off into nowhere; almost unaware of what was around him. "He tries to look like he's doing something."

She just nodded with him, but sometimes wondered what would have the Commander thinking so deeply?

**11. Hold My Hand**

Moving quickly towards the next battle sight, she did her best not to trip in the thick mud of the river. He was with her the entire way; his hand always ready whenever she needed assistance. Sometimes she would reach for it just so she could hold on a little longer.

**12. Trouble Lurking**

The Mercenaries hid quickly in the dense forestry of the river; carefully awaiting their enemy. Hoping to give the Laguz Alliance time to cross the river and circle around back, they awaited for the perfect moment to attack. Her heart drummed in her chest the entire time…the enemy had greater numbers. And the sun couldn't lie about the black armor glowing on the other side of the bank.

**13. Drowning**

The water hindered her movements slightly and she found herself more open to attacks. Swinging her lance as quick as she could, she tried to stay as a stationary as possible. However, the hard collision of a hammer with her breast plate knocked her well below the knee-high water surface. Struggling to get back up, she felt the hammer hit her chest once more; knocking the air from her lungs before quickly filling them with water.

**14. All That I Have**

He couldn't understand how in two seconds she disappeared completely from his view. What seemed only a few feet separating them now appeared to be miles. His frantic search for her turned over to the death of a Lance General nearby. His chest tightened as he felt his foot brush against a body just underneath the surface…

**15. Heal**

He never thought that the sound of someone coughing would ever be pleasant. But watching as she seemed to awaken from her waterlogged sleep was enough to free him from his tensions. Water spilt from her lips as she turned to her side and emptied her lungs of the river liquid before she collapsed back from the effort. He gathered her up in his arms and whispered softly to her as she breathed harshly against his neck.

**16. Silence**

She buried herself against his chest; breathing long, hoarse gasps in hopes to remove the numbness from her chest. His arms were there to support her as he whispered soft things into her ear. She smiled some and tried to decide if his lips were sweeter when they were comforting her, or when they were trying to save her life.

**17. Stars**

"Do ya think that stars destine our fate?" she asked one night, when the marching still continued.

He looked up at the night sky, clear and alive with lights. "I don't know, but I'm pretty sure someone's out to get us."

**18. In the Storm**

Thunder seemed to come from nowhere as the duo looked up at the dark clouds circling overheard. They had been sent out to check the surrounding area for any sign of the enemy. The only enemy she could see though was the storm coming in.

**19. Under the Rain**

The mad dash for safety almost seemed like a game to them. Both of them laughing the entire time as they pushed through the trees before making it into a nearby cave that seemed greatly placed. This was one of the few times she took off her helmet, only to pull her hair from her face. She laughed at how he seemed to enjoy the situation.

**20. Breathe Again**

Of the years between them, that was the first time he had ever kissed her. In that darkened cave, hiding from the rain and trying to keep from the storm. This time he wasn't trying to save her life; he just wanted to be in it.

**21. Keeping a Secret**

Given several hours, the rain cleared enough for them to leave the small stone dwelling. They moved as quick as they could through the troubled forest ground; hoping to regroup with the army before search teams were sent out. A smile cursed the both of them, seeing as not even their closest friends would know what happened during the storm.

**22. Reunion**

"How can you stand to be around him for so long?" was the first thing Mia asked when the two regroup with the army.

She just shook her head and smiled lightly at her own answer.

**23. Danger Ahead**

Each passing day, they encountered more and more of the Golden Army and Begnion Senators trying to block their path. Each time it took them longer to defeat the enemy, and continue on. She tried not to think about the golden armor as someone she had killed earlier in the war. It was just a ghost this time…

**24. Tower**

A brilliant, great light illuminated from the once grand palace of worship. The beautiful marble carvings and gold paintings was now their object of destruction. The Goddess would be somewhere at the top, and they were the only ones who could defeat her now. How could simple guards and knights take on such an ethereal being?

**25. No Way Out**

The sight of the first wave of soldiers rushing from the Begnion capital ended all hope of going in easy. There was no way out of the battles this time. She tightened her grip on her lance and kept close to his side.

**26. Hours**

It seemed like days passed through with each elongated battle against the Golden Army. The occasional breaks gave them enough time to rest before the next wave broke through. He was with her through the whole battle though, and that's all that matter.

**27. Wounded**

Her body was exhausted by the time the sixth wave came through. A sharp sword tore through her side; leaving behind blood and flesh strips in its wake. Her blood had barely spilt to the ground before the golden helmet was rolling on the ground. She had never seen such spirit and aggressiveness in his eyes before.

**28. Warrior's Pride**

He carried her through the field; doing his best to avoid hurting her more. Her blood flowed freely over one arm with her wound almost splitting open her entire side. He rushed her to the closest medic, the black-haired girl of the Dawn Brigade. It seemed no matter the situation, the girl always had a smile on…

**29. Victory**

The seventh wave just barely begun, with their own fighters almost collapsing on their feet, before each Golden soldier toppled over. There had been no draw of a sword, or tome. They almost seemed hit by some kind of unknown force. Just like that, they disappeared back into the ground…where they belonged. There was only silence left after that.

**30. Words**

Cheers erupted after several quiet moments, as each man congratulated one another. She watched as the Holy Guards, the Royal Knights, the Dawn Brigade, Greil's Mercenaries and the Laguz Alliance all cheered on as though the months of battle before were just nightmares. Smiling, she turned back to him.

"We made it."

**31. Love**

He promised never to leave her again with just three little words… "I love you."


End file.
